Seattle Schools Community Forum

The Issaquah School Board voted to use eminent domain to acquire property for school use.  From The Issaquah Press: The Issaquah School Board voted unanimously Wednesday night to use eminent domain to acquire the 40-acre Providence Heights College property as a site for a new high school and a new elementary school. A majority of the speakers pleaded with the board to repurpose the existing buildings. The Washington Trust for Historic Preservation included the campus on its 2016 list of the state’s seven most-endangered historic properties. State law permits school districts to use eminent domain to acquire private property as sites for schools. If a district and a landowner cannot agree on compensation, the matter goes to superior court. Stiffarm said the process, if it requires a trial, can take at least a year.   Interesting article from the Bellingham Herald about how many Democratic legislators are now running for open statewide seats (like state super...

Stories on Common Core polling, charter schools, all-day schools, spending on high poverty schools and and an ACLU lawsuit over uneven school experiences for low-income students.

 Thanks to reader Watching. Action is needed here.  There is a bill affecting the rights of students at school to be searched - moving through the Legislature. This bill, SB 6023 , wants to "include searches by school resource officers and local police school liaison officers within the warrantless school search exception." From Publicola : In the runup to the this week's legislative deadline (policy bills need to make it out of committees by Friday in the state senate), the Republicans unilaterally pushed a bill through the law and justice comittee today that jeopardizes the civil rights of students accordig to the ACLU. "This is the 'policization' of our schools," ACLU lobbyist Shankar Narayan said coining a term he likened to militarization. The bill , sponsored by GOP Sens. Steve O'Ban (R-28, University Place) and Pam Roach (R-31, Auburn), would allow law enforcement officers to conduct searches of students without ...

Parents of middle school and high school students should be aware of the resources offered by the ACLU-Washington to help protect youth. They have a great downloadable guide, "Student Rights and Responsibilities in the Digital Age; A Guide for Public School Students in Washington State"  with info on: technology and free speech including using the internet at school and off-campus recording people at school including other people's privacy and school surveillance cameras searches at school what to do if you believe your school has violated your rights They are also having their annual Student Conference on Civil Liberties on April 14th from 9 am to  1:00 pm at The Vera Project at Seattle Center.   They also have resources for teachers  including classroom speakers, free publications and a printable PDF of the Bill of Rights.   They have an online order form for free publications  including "bust cards"- wallet-sized "what to do if you are stopp...